Jamar Wilson signs with Belgian team

Former UAlbany guard Jamar Wilson, the program’s career scoring leader, signed with a first-division team in Belgium. Here’s the release:

Former University at Albany basketball standout Jamar Wilson will play professionally in Europe with Verviers-Pepinster, a first division team in Belgium. Verviers-Pepinster reached the Belgian Cup semifinals the last two seasons.

“I am excited to be able to continue my career as a basketball player,” said Wilson, who led the Great Danes to a pair of America East Conference championships and back-to-back NCAA appearances. “Belgium has a lot to offer, the league is competitive, and it is a good place to start. It’s a bonus to get paid well for something you love to do.”

Wilson, a 6-foot-1 guard from Bronx, N.Y., led the Great Danes in scoring (18.8 ppg), rebounding (6.2 pg) and assists (4.8 pg) as the 2007 America East Conference Player of the Year. He became the fourth athlete in conference history to win consecutive player of the year awards, joining Reggie Lewis (Northeastern), Taylor Coppenrath (Vermont) and Malik Rose (Drexel). He finished his career as the UAlbany program’s all-time scorer with 2,164 points and ranked second in assists (488). Wilson also shattered the single-season scoring mark as senior when he totaled 620 points. He was named to the Associated Press All-America squad as an honorable mention selection for the second straight year.

“I am very happy for Jamar,” UAlbany coach Will Brown commented. “This is a great opportunity to play in one of the better professional leagues in Europe. Verviers-Pepinster made him a priority as he is the first import player they decided to sign. Playing in the first division will allow him to develop as a player and chase his dream of playing the game at the highest level.”